After a month, my Atelier Pall wallet finally arrived. But that's the price you paid for getting a hand made item from Romania shipped to the US using normal air mail. The cost of shipping was negligible; it just takes a long time if you are used to domestic shipping. You just have to be patient.
First impression: a lot less bulkier than I expected for all the included compartments and strap. I have seen normal wallet that's thicker. You are basically look at the thickness of 4 layers of high quality leather plus the strap.
At first the phone compartment was quite tight, but after inserting the phone and squeezing the sides to mold the pocket to the shape of the phone for about 30 seconds, the fit was perfect: snug, but fairly easy to remove the phone, but no danger of the thing slipping out even up side down.
My top concern was how bulky the wallet was going to be. It turned out to be quite manageable in my opinion. With 3 cards and 4 bills, it is probably about the typical size of an average wallet with bills, cards, and receipts, and certainly thinner than some wallets I have seen daily. As a test, I tried and it easily accommodates 6 cards and probably 8 bills at the same time.
I am one who appreciate simple and elegant designs. I am a perfectionist when it come to making things, and I have dabbled in all sorts of craft as an amateur. This is a wallet that I admire for a long time. The simplicity and the craftsmanship is astounding the more I look at it. It looks like a piece of art that belongs in a museum. I just love the way it looks. It's a bonus that it holds the iPhone 5 really well, and functions nicely as a normal wallet.
